“This is a great moment in my life!”Ruben Xaus has become a father for the first time. The end of November saw the arrival of daughter Giulia, to the delight of Team Sterilgarda's top rider.

The Spanish rider, who was in Valencia for the first tests of the season

with his Italian team, said: "This is a great moment in my life. Becoming a father is something marvellous and a great way of forgetting the hard times in what has been a difficult year for me."

"I tried out the Ducati F06 for the first time today and I'm very impressed," he added. "Traction control lets you perform twice as well with only half the effort. This test session is going amazingly well and has given be a great psychological boost. I did my best lap in 1 minute 36 seconds with an engine prepared for racing in the USA. And we've yet to start working on the bike to find the best settings. We're going to be really competitive this year."
SBK Press Office